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Former Northwest Ambulance District Employee Owes $7,500

Columbus – A former Northwest Ambulance District (Ashtabula County) employee falsified timesheets to get paid an extra $7,500, according to an audit released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.

“636 extra hours isn’t the result of bad math,” Auditor Yost said. “To get paid, you’ve got to work the hours.”

Northwest Ambulance District trustees approved an EMT wage rate for Christopher Craft at $11.54 per hour for duty shifts and $16.00 per hour for call out runs for 2012. In 2013, Craft was paid $11.79 per hour for duty shifts and $16.00 per hour for call out runs. A comparison of administrator-approved timesheet hours and source documentation, including employee schedules and run sheets, revealed Craft was overpaid during both years.

Auditors determined that in 2012, Craft was overpaid by 17 hours for call out runs and 375 hours for duty shifts, resulting in overpayments totaling $4,600. In 2013, Craft was overpaid by seven hours for call out runs and 237 hours for duty shifts, resulting in overpayments totaling $2,906. A typical work year is 2080 hours based on a 40-hour week, meaning Craft was paid about four months of wages he did not earn.

A finding for recovery in the amount of $7,506 was issued against Craft. He was placed on unpaid administrative leave in August 2013 before resigning in June 2014.

The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 5,800 state and local government agencies. Under the direction of Auditor Dave Yost, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies and promotes transparency in government.